4.2 Attorney-General's Portfolio

The Attorney-General’s Portfolio has a primary focus on law and justice, arts and home affairs. Legal agencies and programmes cover law enforcement, federal courts and tribunals, legal aid, human rights, insolvency and native title. Arts and cultural development programmes were recently transferred to the portfolio. These programmes are focused on increasing access to the arts in regional and remote Australia through supporting community and cultural activities and also support for skills development. Home affairs incorporates disaster relief, emergency co-ordination and assistance and payments to Australian victims of terrorism overseas.

The Attorney-General administers 173 pieces of legislation ranging from the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006, to the Witness Protection Act 1994.

The portfolio receives total resourcing of $4.5 billion, of which $3.5 billion is departmental funding and $1.1 billion is administered funding. More than 15,700 people are employed in the portfolio. In addition to the Attorney-General’s Department (AGD), with funding of $1.2 billion and over 1,600 staff, the portfolio includes 17 law and justice agencies and 13 arts agencies.

The size of these agencies varies considerably, ranging from the Australian Federal Police (AFP), with nearly a third of the portfolio funding and over 6,400 staff (41 per cent of the portfolio total) to the Australian Law Reform Commission, with funding of $2.9 million and 16 staff.

Other significant law and justice agencies include the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), with 10 per cent of funding and 11 per cent of staff, and the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) with 2 per cent of funding and 3 per cent of staff.

The Family Court and Federal Circuit Court of Australia and the Federal Court of Australia are also significant organisations with collectively about 6 per cent of portfolio funding and 8 per cent of portfolio staff.

The major arts agencies include the Australia Council (5 per cent of portfolio funding and just under 1 per cent of portfolio staff); Screen Australia (2.4 per cent of portfolio funding and less than 1 per cent of portfolio staff); and the National Library of Australia (1.6 per cent of portfolio funding and nearly 3 per cent of portfolio staff).

Table 4.2.1: Portfolio resourcing: Attorney-General's

Funding ($'000)

Staffing

Entity

Departmental

Administered

Total

ASL

Attorney General’s Department

280,664

891,933

1,172,597

1,614

Administrative Appeals Tribunal

36,275

-

36,275

170

Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity

7,146

-

7,146

34

Australian Crime Commission

93,341

-

93,341

504

Australian Federal Police

1,338,822

51,500

1,390,322

6,416

Australian Human Rights Commission

24,602

144

24,746

125

Australian Institute of Criminology

5,379

2,147

7,526

47

Australian Law Reform Commission

2,899

-

2,899

16

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation

434,165

-

434,165

1,778

Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre

71,103

-

71,103

274

CrimTrac Agency

-

72,759

72,759

228

Family Court and Federal Circuit Court

158,575

874

159,449

789

Federal Court of Australia

99,045

5,250

104,295

425

High Court of Australia

18,829

-

18,829

82

Australian Financial Security Authority

97,787

25,158

122,945

420

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

13,374

-

13,374

80

Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions

85,244

-

85,244

423

Office of Parliamentary Counsel

21,688

-

21,688

113

Australia Council

220,903

-

220,903

124

Australian Film, Television and Radio School

30,972

-

30,972

150

Australian National Maritime Museum

33,149

-

33,149

115

National Film and Sound Archive

28,592

-

28,592

211

National Gallery of Australia

58,328

-

58,328

245

National Library of Australia

73,175

-

73,175

434

National Museum of Australia

47,915

-

47,915

221

National Portrait Gallery of Australia

13,482

-

13,482

59

Screen Australia

110,681

-

110,681

112

National Archives of Australia

65,930

-

65,930

429

Old Parliament House

13,964

2,484

16,448

72

Bundanon Trust

*

*

*

19

Australia Business Arts Foundation Limited

*

*

*

33

PORTFOLIO (1)

3,486,029

1,052,249

4,538,278

15,762

Source: Department of Finance. 2013-14 Budget updated for machinery of government changes.(1) As individual entity resourcing includes inter-agency transfers and payments, total resourcing for the portfolio may be overstated by this amount.

Chart 4.2.1 is a graphical representation of the relative size of bodies within the Attorney-General's Portfolio.